Flashlight supporting headgear



FLASHLIGHT SUPPORTING HEADGEAR Wilburt Weldon Mays, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application April 16, 1954, Serial No. 423,702

3 Claims. (Cl. 240-59) This invention relates to a holder for maintaining a flashlight in a selected angular position on the head of the user and has for its primary object to maintain a flashlight in a selected position of angular adjustment in a vertical arcuate path above the head of the user.

Another object is to facilitate the rapid alteration of the angular relation of the flashlight to the head of the user with but a minimum of effort on the part of the user.

Still another object is to maintain the flashlight in position while at the same time rendering possible the instantaneous removal of the flashlight from the head when desired.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this invention which embodies among its features a bed plate, straps carried by the bed plate and extending outwardly and downwardly therefrom intermediate the ends thereof for engaging opposite sides of the head of the user and retaining the bed plate thereon, a flashlight supporting cradle mounted on the bed plate to move about an axis which extends transversely adjacent one end of the bed plate, a flexible tongue carried by the cradle and extending longitudinally therefrom above the bed plate, and means carried by the bed plate for engaging the tongue and holding the cradle in a selected angular position above the bed plate.

Other features include a chin strap detachably connected to the straps carried by the bed plate for engaging the chin of the user and securing the device in place on the users head, a bridge member carried by the bed plate and extending thereacross beneath the tongue adjacent the end of the bed plate remote from the axis, a guide carried by the bridge member and extending thereacross above the tongue to kink said tongue and tilt the cradle as the tongue is advanced toward the axis, and a catch carried by the bridge member and engaging the tongue to hold it in a selected position of longitudinal adjustment relative to the bed plate and the cradle in a selected angular position above the bed plate.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of this improved flashlight holder showing the same as it would appear when in use;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the holder showing the flashlight in place in broken lines;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a bed plate carries adjacent one end a pair of spaced parallel upstanding ears 12 and adjacent its opposite end a pair of spaced parallel upstanding flanges 14 supporting intermediate their upper and lower ends a bridge member 16 having extending therethrough adjacent its inner end a transverse slot 18. As illustrated in the drawings, the bridge memited States Patent "ice her 16 forms a support for a tongue to be more fully hereinafter described. Carried by the flanges 14 and extending therebetween above the bridge member 16 in vertically spaced relation to said bridge member is a guide 20 having a transverse slot 22 extending therethrough which aligns vertically with the slot 18, as will be readily understood upon reference to Figures 3 and 5. Extending upwardly from the flanges 14 intermediate the ends thereof are ears 24 which are pierced to receive a pivot pin 26 upon which a catch designated generally 28 is pivotally supported above the bridge member 16 and guide 26.

The catch 28 comprises a rock arm 30 which is mounted on the pivot 26 to move in a vertical arcuate path above the bridge member 16 and guide 29, and carried by the rock arm 30 is a tongue 32 which moves in an arcuate path through the mating openings 18 and 22, and encircling the pivot pin 26 beneath the rock arm 30 is a torsion spring 34, one arm of which bears on the underside of the guide 20 while the opposite arm bears on the underside of the bridge member 16 to yieldingly urge the tongue 32 through the openings 18 and 22.

The ears 12, previously referred to, are pierced with aligning openings through which extend pivots 36 upon which are supported depending ears 38 carried by a cradle designated generally 46 which comprises a bottom bar 42 carrying longitudinally spaced pairs of upwardly and inwardly curved clamp arms 44 which are adapted to partially embrace the case of a flashlight F, as illustrated in Figure 1, to retain the flashlight in the cradle 45). Integral with the bottom bar 42 of the cradle 40 at the end of said cradle remote from the pivots 36 is a flexible tongue 46 which extends longitudinally across the top of the bridge member 16, as illustrated in Figure 3, and is provided with longitudinally spaced transverse slots 48 which are adapted to be brought into register with the slots 18 and 22 to receive the tongue 32 and lock the tongue 46 in selected positions on the bridge plate 16.

Supporting straps 50 are carried by the bed plate 16 intermediate the ends thereof and extend downwardly and outwardly thereof to partially embrace the head of the user in order to retain the holder in place. A chin strap 52 is detachably connected adjacent opposite ends by hooks 54 to the straps 50 in order to releasably support the device in place.

Obviously, when in use, the tilt of the flashlight F about the axis of the pivots 36 is regulated by exerting pressure on the rock arm 30 to withdraw the tongue 32 from its position in the slots 18, 22 and 48 to permit the tongue 46 to be moved longitudinally along the bridge 16. As the tongue is advanced toward the pivoted end of the cradle 40, it will buckle as illustrated in the broken lines in Figure 3 to tilt the cradle 40 to a selected angle relative to the bed plate 10. When the selected angular relation between the bed 10 and the flashlight F has been achieved, pressure is released from the rock arm 3% so that the tongue 32 may be projected through the openings 22, 48 and 18 under the influence of the spring 34. In this way, the flashlight F may be tilted to a selected angle with but a minimum of etfort on the part of the user.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. A flashlight-supporting headgear compris ng a bed plate; a pair of straps diverging downwardly from and rigid with the bed plate for engaging the head of a wearer to support the bed plate thereon; a cradle adapted at one end for supporting a flashlight and pivotally connected at said end to the bed plate for tiltable adjustment about an axis extending transversely of the bed plate and cradle, said cradle being flexible at least at its other end for bowing the same upwardly at said other end thereof to tilt the cradle about said axis to selected positions of angular adjustment in respect to the bed plate; and means on the bed plate engaging said other end of the cradle in each position to which the same is flexed, to retain the cradle in its corresponding, selected position of angular adjustment. 7

2. A flashlight-supporting headgar comprising a bed late; a air of stra s diverging downwardl from and P rigid with the bed plate for engaging the head of a wearer to support the bed plate thereon; a cradle adapted at one end for supporting a flashlight and pivotally connected at said end to the bed plate for tiitable adiustrnent about an axis extending transversely of the bed plate and cradle, said cradle being flexible at least at its other end for bowing the same upwardly at said other end thereof to tilt the cradle about said axis to selected positions of angular adjustment in respect to the bed plate; and means on the bed plate engaging said other end of the cradle in each position to which the same is flexed, to retain the cradle in its corresponding, selected position of adjustment, comprising a bridge member fixed to the bed plate and underlying said other end or" the cradle, said bridge member having an opening and the cradle having at said other end thereof a longitudinal series of openings selectively registrable with the bridge member opening, and a catch mounted on the bridge member and formed with a tongue engageable in the registering openings, said catch being spring biased in a direction to normally retain the tongue in the registering openings.

3. A flashlight supporting headgear comprising an elongated bed plate; a pair of straps diverging downwardly from and rigid with the bed plate for engaging the head of a wearer to support the bed plate thereon; a cradle comprising an elongated strip of material overlying and aligned longitudinally with the bed plate, one end portion of said strip constituting a bottom bar and being pivotally connected to the bed plate for tiltable adjustment about an axis extending transversely of the bed plate and cradle, said cradle further including pairs of upwardly extending clamp arms spaced longitudinally of and integral with said bottom bar to engage a flashlight supported on the bottom bar, at. least the other end portion of said strip being flexible for bowing the same upwardly to tilt the cradle about said axis to selected positiens of angular adjustment in respect to the bed plate; and means on the bed plate engaging said other end portion of the strip in each position to which the same is flexed, to retain the bottom bar in its corresponding, selected position of angular adjustment, comprising a bridge member fixed to the bed plate and underlying said other end portion, said bridge member having an opening and said other end portion having a longitudinal series of openings selectively registrable with the bridge member opening, and a catch mounted on the bridge member and formed with a tongue 'engageable in the registering openings, said catch being spring biased in a direction to normally retain the tongue in the registering'openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 501,833 Halstead July 18, 1893 1,623,274 Robinson Apr. 5, 1927 1,632,127 Goodstein June 14, 1927 2,254,790 Benton Sept. 2, 1941 2,421,643 Ostli June 3, 1947 

